ARCHIVE - Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths (WCB)

April 2008 - Forge Magazine

 

Archive - Forge Magazine - April 2008
www.blacksmithscompetition.co.uk - a new resource for blacksmiths

The National Blacksmiths Competition Committee (NBCC) is going online to produce a resource and reference point for all organisations and people interested in major UK shows where qualifying heats for the National Champion Blacksmithing Competition take place. The committee has gone live with a new website www.blacksmithscompetition.co.uk
The website is designed to provide links and access to other organisations representing the interests and promotion of blacksmithing. The website is also the focal point for dates, venues and other relevant details for anyone who would like to compete for the titles of the National Champion Blacksmith or Champion Live Blacksmith.
The NBCC – history
The National Blacksmiths Competition Committee was initiated by the need to improve the standards of judging of wrought ironwork competitions at shows.
In response to discrepancies in the standard of judging, the Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths provided the initial impetus to start the process.
From that initial idea – and with the support of the Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths and the Guild of Wrought Ironwork Craftsmen of Wessex (now the Blacksmiths’ Guild) – a committee and a working party were formed, guidelines set out, and handbooks published.
In the members’ handbook, which is revised and updated annually in response to problems, there are lists of contacts for each show, and the procedures that are required from the judges and stewards.
Currently there are 10 UK major national shows, and it is hoped that others will be introduced when they have established a worthy ironwork feature.
To ensure that high standards are maintained, all show judges have to attend a seminar to ensure that procedures are adhered to. They then attend shows and support experienced judges, so that they can see how the system works; when they feel confident and are approved, they are added to the approved list of judges. To ensure a broad a spectrum of judging as possible, approved judges are only allowed to judge at one show on the circuit each year.
These seminars are also open to show stewards or competitors to attend. They are not intended to tell attendees how to judge, but to explain and illustrate how the judging and stewarding functions should be carried out.
The NBCC supports and promotes blacksmithing competitions, blacksmiths and the shows they attend; each show is individual, and the members run their own event as they see fit.
To achieve this, the committee meets before the show season commences, to discuss any likely problems that may arise. They also meet after the show season to correlate the returned results, and to use those results to identify the two National Champion Blacksmiths for the live and static competitions.
The winners of these prestigious titles are honoured at a presentation given by the Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths in London.
The competition
The National Blacksmiths Competition is widely recognised as one of the most effective ways to promote the craft of the blacksmith and networking within the trade.
The competition is divided into two categories and points are accrued at each competition by the winners for ‘live’ and ‘static’ forge work. The overall champion for each category at each show is awarded 10 points and the reserve champion receives four points. Champions and reserves for each category are awarded prize plaques kindly donated by the Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths. There may be several static and live classes at each show, but a champion and reserve for both categories will be decided from the winners by the judge at each show. The competition is open to professionals, non-professionals, students and supporters of the trade, in fact anyone resident in the UK who wishes to enter. Concise rules and regulations can be found on the website www.blacksmithscompetition.co.uk
For further details contact the NBCC secretary Dave Waight AWCB, LWCB, 35 Roberts Road, Houndsdown, Totton, Southampton SO40 9EJ, telephone 02380 860224, email [email protected] or log onto the website to contact individual show organisers.